CJ Richard Jr. holds the FS · Starter spot in Florida State Seminoles’s safety room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

CJ Richard Jr. is a 6'1", 200-pound free safety who transferred to Florida State from Illinois State as a redshirt sophomore. At J. Frank Dobie High School in Houston, he earned first-team all-district honors and served as a two-time team captain. During the 2025 season with the Redbirds, Richard appeared in 17 games with seven starts, recording 60 tackles, three interceptions, two pass breakups, one fumble recovery, and 1.5 tackles for loss. He earned Freshman All-American recognition from Phil Steele and recorded a 20-yard tackle for loss in the FCS National Championship Game versus Montana State. Richard made his collegiate debut with four tackles against No. 18 Oklahoma.

Illinois Statethrough 2025

Florida State2026 — present